Oceanic vs. ScubabPro Regs

I am in the market for a reg and have been looking at either the Oceanic Delta 4 FDX10, which had a very good write up in Scubalab in 2005 or the ScubaPro MK17/S555 reg. I was in at my LDS today, who seems to have a bias towards ScubaPro (he sells this brand) and is not a fan of the Oceanic, which he does not sell. He said the reviews you read are all the same and that all regs get a good review so it is not something you can truly go by. Any opinions to the truth of this statement?

So, in going by the review in ScubaLab, where ScubaPro would not even submit any regs for this review, I am leaning towards the Oceanic. ScubaPro does have a good name and product but I do not have any firsthand reviews of ScubaPro regs. My LDS said they are the leader in the industry for a reason, which I cannot confirm or deny.

Can anyone put their two cents in on these two regs and tell me which would probably be the better purchase in the long run? I do mostly warm water diving (Caribbean) and a little colder water diving in the summer in Wisconsin (78 degrees to about 20', then 58) and Lake Michigan out of Chicago (70 degrees to about 40' then about 58).

I am not locked into either of these two regs so any suggestions on other regs to consider would be helpful.

Thanks in advance,

Doug

Hi Doug,

I'm biased of course, being from Oceanic and all...

I haven't used the Mk17 from ScubaPro, but I would suspect given their track record it is a excellent regulator.

When you look at theirs vs. ours, we have three additional features, the second stage is adjustable(fun for the first few dives, then you only use it when it comes in handy ), the second stage has a swivel for increased comfort and of course the first stage has DVT http://www.oceanicworldwide.com/p_regulators_drt.html. So we win on features...

Performance, well I haven't tested that Scubapro regulator so wouldn't want to make any statements on it in comparison to the Delta 4. I would be shocked if it performed any better however!

Both of us offer free parts for life if you get it serviced at he recommended interval.

Unconditionally we offer better service if required.

I'll let others chime in here.

Best,

Chris

I've heard a lot of good on the Mk17. I have an older Delta. I'd buy either of these two you've selected. I'd take the swivel off the Oceanic first though. But that's a minor point.

Is the Delta 4 a sealed first stage? That would be important to me.

I just traded a 2 month old Sherwood Maximus, which seems to be one of the more disrespected regs in the reviews and on these boards, for the Oceanic Delta 4, which gets lots of good press and lots of accolades on these boards - and Scubapro seems to get even more accolades.

I can say this - none of it really made sense in the end. I liked my Sherwood – despite the extreme sense of inadequacy I got from reading many posts and reviews. It performed well and my son wouldn’t give his up on a bet. I switched to the Oceanic for two reasons:

1) I really could not get used to the under arm hose setup of the Sherwood. I just thought I would like a traditional over the shoulder hose better. That put me in the market for a new reg and my search for reviews and advice began again.
2) The Oceanic guys that participate on these boards have been among the most helpful and professional people I have dealt with. In the end – after reading all the posts I decided – I may not be able to make sense of all the opinions about the differences between the regulators, but - I like these guys and I like this company. I trust them to build and stand behind a reg that will work.

Go with the Oceanic. It matches your dive profile and you won’t be sorry.

If I buy an Oceanic, then comes the issue of my dive shop servicing it. Seeing that I did not buy from him (couldn't because he does not carry Oceanic), I suppose he could refuse. Even if he did not refuse, where would I go for the yearly servicing, assuming he does not have the parts as he does not carry this brand? Another dive shop would be my only choice, correct?

One other comment on the yearly service/free parts for life. If I do not get the reg serviced one year, I am out of the Oceanic program, correct? With ScubaPro, if I miss a year, I can pay for the next service parts and be placed back in the program. Does Oceanic offer the same?

Thanks for your feedback.

Doug

I have the Scubapro MK17/S550 (very much the same 2nd stage reg as the current S555) and could not be happier.

Ditto on Stormbringer. One PITA of MK17 is the hose routing. I would go with the one you can get service in your LDS.

PerroneFord:

I've heard a lot of good on the Mk17. I have an older Delta. I'd buy either of these two you've selected. I'd take the swivel off the Oceanic first though. But that's a minor point.

Is the Delta 4 a sealed first stage? That would be important to me.

Click to expand...

The swivels is not one of the oring design that fail(often), We haven't had one problem with the swivel that I know of and I trust it even for technical diving(I know others don't and thats Ok).

It has an enviornmental kit installed.

skinfish:

One other comment on the yearly service/free parts for life. If I do not get the reg serviced one year, I am out of the Oceanic program, correct? With ScubaPro, if I miss a year, I can pay for the next service parts and be placed back in the program. Does Oceanic offer the same?

Thanks for your feedback.

Doug

Click to expand...

Yes, you can get back in the program.

I have a couple of Oceanic regulators. Older models though. One 15 years old. I love it. I recently bought a Zeagle ZX VI with a Envoy octo. Love it as well. There all good. Recently, my girlfriend and I just got back from a week long trip diving down to key west and back. I ended up trading the envoy octo with my oceanic omega (15 year old delta and Omega 2nds) bc my girl friend and I were fighting over who got to use the Zeagle. Primarily, we both love the mouth piece on the Zeagles and after a couple days of diving we really appreciated their mouth pieces, very much. Anyway, of course she ended up the Zeagle Flathead first stage and the ZX second stage with the Oceanic delta as her octo. I used the Oceanic piston/omega first an second and the Zeagle envoy octo. The Oceanic first stage and Zeagle Envoy second stage breathed a lot better than any other combination. Mind you, I never told my girlfriend of my findings. I’ve actually been meaning to ask about this on this board. My inclination is that I just need to have the Zeagle first adjusted a little. After reading other post I think they my come from the factory a little detuned. Still out performs most anyway.

I had not been diving for sometime and sent my Omega off to Oceanic for servicing. Loved the service. The rep call me and went over the overhaul with me and changed out my blue second stage housing for a black one for no charge at all on a 15 year old second stage. I did have a slight problem though when I got it back. And this had never happened before. No matter what I did, with the Omega second when it came within site of water it free flowed. I have a Scubapro dealer within walking distance of my home. I took it to them and they adjusted it for free. A happy ending. They just ask if the next time I’m in the market to consider them and Scubapro. They said Scubapro gives them that kind of service so they pass it on to their customers.

Anyway if your looking for a good review on the Scubapro here it is: http://www.atomicaquatics.com/PDF/JUNE06REGREVIEW.pdf
I stand behind both companies and just purchased a Oceanic VT3 and love it. But if you don’t have a local Oceanic dealer go with the SP 100%. If you have both dealer Oceanic and Scubapro go with your gut feeling you cant go wrong. The Oceanic has more features. Also, worst case scenario, you don’t have and Oceanic rep near to service it. You can always send it back to them, the guys who made it in the first place, for annual servicing. I hope I didn’t confuse you more then before.